There have been many attempts to make folding hangers for clothes. Folding hangers are advantageous in that they may be collapsed to consume less space for storage or when traveling. Also, a folding hanger can be easier to use and pose less damage to garments. It can be inserted when in a folded position, into the neck of a sweater, dress, blouse, or the like, without having to undo any buttons or stretch the neck of the garment, and then the hanger can be unfolded to hang the garment. Folding hangers are described, for example, in the following U.S. Patents: U.S. Pat. No. 5,690,257 issued Nov. 25, 1997 to Ward; U.S. Pat. No. 5,590,823 issued Jan. 7, 1997 to Lunde; U.S. Pat. No. 5,397,037 issued Mar. 14, 1995 to Ozawa; U.S. Pat. No. 4,988,021 issued Jan. 29, 1991 to Adams et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,730,757 issued Mar. 15, 1988 to Keller; U.S. Pat. No. 4,186,857 issued Feb. 5, 1980 to Helms, Jr.; U.S. Pat. No. 3,802,610 issued Apr. 9, 1974 to Love; U.S. Pat. No. 3,082,921 issued Mar. 26, 1963 to Sadowsky; U.S. Pat. No. 2,724,533 issued Nov. 22, 1955 to Hansen; U.S. Pat. No. 2,448,523 issued Aug. 31, 1948 to Pandele; U.S. Pat. No. D263,013 issued Feb. 16, 1982 to Angeles; and U.S. Pat. No. D202,484 issued Oct. 5, 1965 to Helms, Jr.
There are drawbacks, however, with the folding hangers described in the abovereferenced patents. Many of the folding hangers involve complex designs with numerous interacting parts. The use of many parts makes it difficult to manufacture the hangers in a cost-effective manner for ordinary consumers, considering, particularly, that a hanger is a low-cost item. Additionally, complicated pivoting and latching mechanisms are used in the hangers of the above-cited patents, which increases the likelihood of product failure.
A hanger which is configured to provide a simpler design is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,690,257 to Ward ("Ward"). Ward describes a folding hanger which consists essentially of one integral piece having two movable halves or "wings" that pivot about one connection point and snap together with use of a tongue and groove latching mechanism. The Ward hanger places both a pivot means and a latching mechanism along a vertical surface disposed between the two wings, such that each of the wings has a vertical dimension, providing a relatively bulky hanger. Also, the two wings of the Ward hanger apparently are held in place (when in an unfolded configuration), entirely by the tongue and groove latching mechanism. Thus, if ordinary wear-and-tear were to erode the strength of the latching mechanism, the effectiveness of the hanger would be destroyed.
As may be appreciated, it would be advantageous to have a folding hanger that has a simple construction, is sturdy, is easy and low in cost to make, and allows for flexibility in design. New designs for folding hangers are desired to provide the consumer with a choice of products. The instant invention provides such a folding hanger. Further advantages may appear more fully upon considering the description given below.